Celtics hope return home will help cure their many ills

Wednesday

Those were the final words out of Kevin Garnett's mouth as the Celtics exited Madison Square Garden after Tuesday night's eye-opening 87-71 defeat to the Knicks.

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The eyes were opened for one reason: without Rajon Rondo, the Celtics cannot score on a consistent basis against a team that is known more for its explosive offense, not its suffocating defense. The Celtics come home in an 0-2 hole after setting a franchise scoring futility record of a mere 23 seconds half points. In a Game 1 loss, the Celts managed 25 in the second half.

Will a return home for Game 3 in front of a TD Garden crowd that has yet to see their heroes in the playoffs or since the Boston Marathon bombings change things? There is no other choice. Since coming back from 0-2 to win the NBA Title in 1969, this is the 11th time the Celtics have gone down 0-2. They've lost the previous 10.

Can they prevent a first round playoff knockout over the next 10 days? It is more than possible, despite what transpired in New York. Remember that the NBA is a home team's league. Anyone who watched the litany of touch-foul calls that went against the Celtics (including supposed stars Garnett and Paul Pierce) and in the favor of the Knicks' Carmelo Anthony in the first two games has to admit that will not continue in Boston's Garden. The fans, the atmosphere, the Celtics' aura simply won't let it.

But a friendlier referee's whistle isn't enough to get things done. The Celtics are savagely flawed right now without Rajon Rondo's playmaking brilliance or a low post game of any consequence. They need to create offense off defense and the running game, just like they did in the first halves (up 48-42 Tuesday) of both games. Then they need to somehow keep that up for 48 minutes and be in a position to trump the offensive fireworks of `Melo and J.R. Smith in the fourth quarter.

Celtic fans are lamenting the bleak likelihood that their team will be able to win a single game at MSG and win this series. They first need to make sure their team does what it's supposed to do: protect home court and win Game 3 Friday night.

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